Nagpur police arrested an Army jawan in connection with the suspected murder of his girlfriend, eerily similar to the plot of the movie Drishyam. The body was allegedly buried and covered under a layer of cement. The incident came to light after the 32-year-old victim, Jyotsna Aakre went missing on August 28; thereafter, the police found a web of betrayal and deceit.
Police officials said the motive was apparently a soured romantic affair and the accused family’s opposition to their marriage. Ajay Wankhede, 33, from Kailash Nagar in Nagpur and currently serving in Nagaland, had come in contact with Aakre, a divorcee, through a marriage portal. It grew into a love affair from friendship, which seems to have fallen apart as Wankhede’s family members got him engaged to another girl.
As the tension mounted, Wankhede started keeping his distance from Aakre. Police suspect that he might have committed the crime to get rid of her. Reports also hinted that Wankhede sedated Aakre, strangled her, and later buried her in a secluded area in Nagpur. He reportedly cemented the body to mislead the police.
When Wankhede stopped returning Aakre’s calls, she approached one of his friends and was informed about his whereabouts. Worried about the events, Wankhede contacted Aakre through his mother and asked her to meet him on Wardha Road on August 28. Aakre had told her family members that she would be with a friend that night as she worked at an automobile shop.
The two caught up with each other, checked into a hotel, and later drove to a toll plaza, where Wankhede offered her a drink laced with a sedative. When she fell unconscious, he strangled her and took her body to a secluded site, dug a pit, and buried her, covering the body with cement. He also threw Aakre’s mobile phone into a running truck.
When Aakre failed to return home, her family approached the Beltarodi police and reported her missing on August 29. The Beltarodi police registered a kidnapping case on September 17 after an inquiry. Police scrutinized call detail records and found that Wankhede and Aakre were in constant touch with each other.
Apprehending summons, Wankhede sought medical aid for high blood pressure at the Armed Forces Medical College in Pune. He moved the Nagpur sessions court for anticipatory bail, but his plea was rejected. The High Court also rejected his application on September 15.
Following the rejection of his bail plea, Wankhede was arrested by the Beltarodi police. During interrogation, he disclosed the location where the crime was committed. Forensic experts were sent to the site to exhume the remains near the Dongargaon toll plaza on Wardha Road in Nagpur.
